Sourav Ganguly was re-elected as president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) on Monday, marking his return after a six-year gap. Ganguly, who previously served as president from 2015 to 2019, was elected unopposed during the CAB’s 94th annual general meeting. He replaces his brother, Snehashish Ganguly, who stepped down after completing his six-year term.

News agency PTI reported that Ganguly outlined his immediate priorities, including expanding the capacity of Eden Gardens to one lakh spectators and securing marquee fixtures for the 2024 T20 World Cup. “The T20 World Cup next year will be a huge event, and Eden Gardens should play a key role in it,” he said. He also expressed excitement about the return of Test cricket to Eden Gardens with India’s upcoming match against South Africa on November 14—the first Test there since the historic 2019 day-night pink-ball game against Bangladesh, which Ganguly had championed as BCCI president.

“I am confident the South Africa Test will be a great match. Both teams are top sides, and the facilities at Eden Gardens are world-class,” Ganguly said, although he noted that there was still time before the match.

Will Eden Gardens Return to 100,000 Capacity?

Looking ahead to the T20 World Cup, Ganguly hopes Eden Gardens will host high-profile games, including a potential semifinal. “I’ll speak to the new BCCI leadership soon about the arrangements,” he added, referring to newly appointed BCCI president Mithun Manhas and treasurer Raghuram Bhat.

One of Ganguly’s long-term goals is to expand Eden Gardens’ capacity to 100,000, making it the second-largest cricket stadium in India after the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The stadium’s capacity was reduced to 68,000 ahead of the 2011 World Cup, but Ganguly plans to reverse that. “We’ll look to expand after the T20 World Cup. The lease has been renewed, and we’re excited to move forward,” he said.

In addition to infrastructure plans, Ganguly is focused on strengthening Bengal’s first-class cricket structure. He highlighted the development of a state-of-the-art cricket academy in Dumurjala, Howrah, on nine acres of land. “This will be a world-class facility with floodlights and modern amenities, similar to Kalyani Academy,” Ganguly said, adding that the project is expected to take around 1-1.5 years to complete.

Another priority for Ganguly is expanding CAB’s Vision 2020 program, targeting 2036, in line with India’s Olympic aspirations. “We want to produce cricketers who can represent India at the Olympics,” he said.

Under Ganguly’s leadership, CAB has increased its development fund for state units and district associations from Rs 5 crore to Rs 8 crore.

Ganguly’s panel, which includes Bablu Kolay (secretary), Madan Mohan Ghosh (joint-secretary), Sanjay Das (treasurer), and Anu Dutta (vice-president), was also elected unopposed.

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